Jump to content

Weev: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
not really recent
Bkid (talk | contribs)
279 edits
m →‎Trolling: Removed link to "Trolling", already linked at the top of the article.
Line 46: Line 46:


== Trolling ==
== Trolling ==
Auernheimer is the former president of the [[Gay Nigger Association of America]],<ref name="theatlantic"/> an anti-blogging [[Internet Troll|trolling]] group who take their name from the 1992 Danish movie ''[[Gayniggers from Outer Space]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Dean | first1 = Jodi | title = Blog Theory: Feedback and Capture in the Circuits of Drive | publisher = Polity Press | year = 2010 | location = Cambridge, UK | pages = 6 | accessdate =27 July 2010}}</ref> Members of Goatse Security involved with the [[iPad]] hack are also members of [[GNAA]].<ref name="complaint"/><ref name="theatlantic"/> Auernheimer also claimed responsibility for posting a false account of [[Kathy Sierra]]'s career in 2007<ref>http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/fulldisc/full-disclosure/52577</ref> including claims that she was a former prostitute, along with her actual address and Social Security number.<ref name="Schwartz"/> This led to her receiving death threats and threats of sexual violence,<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070503012914/http://headrush.typepad.com/whathappened.html</ref> and her online absence from 2007 through to 2013.<ref>http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/12/4693710/the-end-of-kindness-weev-and-the-cult-of-the-angry-young-man</ref> Auernheimer has since denied these allegations against him, "I have never done anything to her, and couldn't care less about her one way or the other."<ref>http://pastebin.com/DUWEZfTy</ref>
Auernheimer is the former president of the [[Gay Nigger Association of America]],<ref name="theatlantic"/> an anti-blogging trolling group who take their name from the 1992 Danish movie ''[[Gayniggers from Outer Space]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Dean | first1 = Jodi | title = Blog Theory: Feedback and Capture in the Circuits of Drive | publisher = Polity Press | year = 2010 | location = Cambridge, UK | pages = 6 | accessdate =27 July 2010}}</ref> Members of Goatse Security involved with the [[iPad]] hack are also members of [[GNAA]].<ref name="complaint"/><ref name="theatlantic"/> Auernheimer also claimed responsibility for posting a false account of [[Kathy Sierra]]'s career in 2007<ref>http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/fulldisc/full-disclosure/52577</ref> including claims that she was a former prostitute, along with her actual address and Social Security number.<ref name="Schwartz"/> This led to her receiving death threats and threats of sexual violence,<ref>http://web.archive.org/web/20070503012914/http://headrush.typepad.com/whathappened.html</ref> and her online absence from 2007 through to 2013.<ref>http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/12/4693710/the-end-of-kindness-weev-and-the-cult-of-the-angry-young-man</ref> Auernheimer has since denied these allegations against him, "I have never done anything to her, and couldn't care less about her one way or the other."<ref>http://pastebin.com/DUWEZfTy</ref>


A song from [[Childish Gambino]]'s album ''[[Because the Internet]]'', entitled ''Life: The Biggest Troll'' is named after Auernheimer.<ref name=FactMag>{{cite news|title=CHILDISH GAMBINO RECRUITS CHANCE THE RAPPER, JHENÉ AIKO AND AZEALIA BANKS FOR BECAUSE THE INTERNET LP|url=http://www.factmag.com/2013/11/10/childish-gambino-recruits-chance-the-rapper-jhene-aiko-and-azealia-banks-for-because-the-internet-lp-see-artwork-and-tracklist/|accessdate=19 November 2013|newspaper=[[Fact (UK magazine){{!}}FACT]]|date=10 November 2013}}</ref>
A song from [[Childish Gambino]]'s album ''[[Because the Internet]]'', entitled ''Life: The Biggest Troll'' is named after Auernheimer.<ref name=FactMag>{{cite news|title=CHILDISH GAMBINO RECRUITS CHANCE THE RAPPER, JHENÉ AIKO AND AZEALIA BANKS FOR BECAUSE THE INTERNET LP|url=http://www.factmag.com/2013/11/10/childish-gambino-recruits-chance-the-rapper-jhene-aiko-and-azealia-banks-for-because-the-internet-lp-see-artwork-and-tracklist/|accessdate=19 November 2013|newspaper=[[Fact (UK magazine){{!}}FACT]]|date=10 November 2013}}</ref>

Revision as of 07:58, 21 March 2014


2010 photo of Auernheimer
Photo of Auernheimer

Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer[1] (/ˈɔːrənhaɪmər/ AW-rən-hy-mər;[2] born (1985-09-01)September 1, 1985), also known by his pseudonym weev, is an American grey hat[3] hacker and Internet troll.[4] He has identified himself using a variety of aliases to the media, although most sources correctly provide his first name as Andrew.[4][5]

Hacking

Auernheimer claimed responsibility for the disruption to Amazon's services in April 2009 when many books on gay issues were reclassified as pornography.[6][7] Amazon claimed that Auernheimer was not responsible for the incident.[8] Even before the Amazon incident, several media publications profiled Auernheimer regarding his hacking and trolling activities, notably The New York Times, in which he claimed to be a member of a hacker group called “the organization,” making $10 million annually. He also claimed to be the owner of a Rolls-Royce Phantom.[9][10][11] After the Times story on Auernheimer was published, reporters sought out Auernheimer for commentary on hacking-related stories. Gawker published a story on the Sarah Palin email hacking incident and prominently featured Auernheimer's comments in the title of the story.[12]

AT&T data breach

Main article: Goatse Security

Auernheimer is a member of the group of computer experts known as "Goatse Security" that exposed a flaw in AT&T security which allowed the e-mail addresses of iPad users to be revealed.[13] Contrary to what it first claimed, the group revealed the security flaw to Gawker Media before AT&T had been notified,[14] and also exposed the data of 114,000 iPad users, including those of celebrities, the government and the military. The actions of this group re-provoked the debate on the disclosure of security flaws.[15] Auernheimer maintains that Goatse Security used common industry standard practices and has said that "we tried to be the good guys".[3][15] Jennifer Granick of the Electronic Frontier Foundation has also defended the tactics used by Goatse Security.[15]

The FBI then opened an investigation into the incident.[16] The FBI investigation led to a criminal complaint in January 2011.[17]

Shortly after the investigation was opened, Auernheimer's house was raided by the FBI and local police. The FBI search was related to its investigation of the AT&T security breach, but Auernheimer was subsequently detained on state drug charges.[18] Police allege that, during their execution of the search warrant related to the AT&T breach, they found cocaine, ecstasy, LSD, and schedule 2 and 3 pharmaceuticals.[19] He was released on a $3,160 bail pending state trial.[20] After his release on bail, he broke a gag order to protest what he maintained were violations of his civil rights. In particular, he disputed the legality of the search of his house and denial of access to a public defender. He also asked for donations via PayPal, to defray legal costs.[3][21]

In January 2011, all drug-related charges were dropped immediately following Auernheimer's arrest by federal authorities. The U.S. Justice Department announced that he would be charged with one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization and one count of fraud.[22] Although his co-defendant, Daniel Spitler, was quickly released on bail, Auernheimer was initially denied bail due to his unemployment and lack of a family member to host him before being released on $50,000 bail in late February 2011.[2][23] Auernheimer was incarcerated in the Federal Transfer Center, Oklahoma City in February 2011. A federal grand jury in Newark, New Jersey, indicted Auernheimer with one count of conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers and one count of identity theft in early July 2011.[24] In September 2011 he was free on bail and raising money for his legal defense fund.[25]

On 20 November 2012, Auernheimer was found guilty of one count of identity fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization.[26] Auernheimer tweeted that he would appeal the ruling.[27] Alex Pilosov, a friend who was also present for the ruling, tweeted that Auernheimer would remain free on bail until sentencing, "which will be at least 90 days out."[28]

On 29 November 2012, Auernheimer authored an article in Wired Magazine entitled "Forget Disclosure - Hackers Should Keep Security Holes to Themselves," advocating the disclosure of any zero-day exploit only to individuals who will "use it in the interests of social justice."[29]

In a January 2013 Tech Crunch article,[30] he likened his prosecution to that of Aaron Swartz, writing

[...]Aaron dealt with his indictment so badly because he thought he was part of a special class of people that this didn’t happen to. I am from a rundown shack in Arkansas. I spent many years thinking people from families like his got better treatment than me. Now I realize the truth: The beast is so monstrous it will devour us all.

On 18 March 2013, after being found guilty of identity fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization, Auernheimer was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $73,000 in restitution.[31] Just prior to his sentencing, he posted an "Ask Me Anything" thread on Reddit;[32] comments such as "I hope they give me the maximum, so people will rise up and storm the docks" and "My regret is being nice enough to give AT&T a chance to patch before dropping the dataset to Gawker. I won't nearly be as nice next time" were cited by the prosecution as justification for the sentence.[33]

Later in March 2013, civil rights lawyer and George Washington University Law School faculty Orin Kerr joined Auernheimer’s legal team, free of charge.[34]

Auernheimer is serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low, a low-security federal prison in Pennsylvania, and is scheduled for release in January 2016.[35] On July 1, 2013, Auernheimer's legal team filed a brief with the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that Auernheimer's convictions should be reversed because he had not violated the relevant provisions of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.[36][37]

Political views and critical reception

Auernheimer has published a number of podcasts and keeps a LiveJournal blog[9] in which he offers commentary on racial and cultural issues. His views have proved controversial, causing Philip Elmer-DeWitt to dub him "the ugliest computer hacker".[38] Rolling Stone calls his hacking results racist and homophobic[39] while others have interpreted his work as deliberately offensive humor, with Fox News calling it "offensive and witty detail"[40] and a Forbes author telling readers to "think: Shakespeare's Puck".[41] This interpretation is in dispute, with an Atlantic magazine author calling the Puck reference "oddly generous".[42]

Auernheimer is an advocate for free speech. He defended the satirical wiki Encyclopedia Dramatica in a Ninemsn interview[43] which was cited as "rather brilliant" in an article about Australian Internet censorship published in The Register.[44]

His actions have sometimes been described as hacktivism. Australian media commentator Emma Jane has characterized him as a "celebrity hacktivist".[45]

Auernheimer has shown support for the Occupy Wall Street protest movement, stating that he "had a strong decade of infuriating rich people."[46]

Trolling

Auernheimer is the former president of the Gay Nigger Association of America,[42] an anti-blogging trolling group who take their name from the 1992 Danish movie Gayniggers from Outer Space.[47] Members of Goatse Security involved with the iPad hack are also members of GNAA.[17][42] Auernheimer also claimed responsibility for posting a false account of Kathy Sierra's career in 2007[48] including claims that she was a former prostitute, along with her actual address and Social Security number.[9] This led to her receiving death threats and threats of sexual violence,[49] and her online absence from 2007 through to 2013.[50] Auernheimer has since denied these allegations against him, "I have never done anything to her, and couldn't care less about her one way or the other."[51]

A song from Childish Gambino's album Because the Internet, entitled Life: The Biggest Troll is named after Auernheimer.[52]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wallworth, Adam (19 January 2011). "Fayetteville man charged in e-mail scam". NWA Online. NWA Media. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b Voigt, Kurt (21 January 2011). "No bail for 2nd iPad e-mail address theft suspect". MSNBC.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  3. ^ a b c John Leyden (7 July 2010). "AT&T iPad 'hacker' breaks gag order to rant at cops". The Register.
  4. ^ a b Mills, Elinor (10 June 2010). "Hacker defends going public with AT&T's iPad data breach (Q&A)". CNET News.
  5. ^ Elinor Mills (15 June 2010). "Hacker in AT&T-iPad Security Case Arrested". CBS News.
  6. ^ Thomas, Owen (13 April 2009). "Why It Makes Sense That a Hacker's Behind Amazon's Big Gay Outrage". Gawker.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  7. ^ Fowler, Geoffrey A. (14 April 2009). "Did "Weev" Play a Role in Amazon "Error?"". WSJ Blogs. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  8. ^ Thomas, Owen (13 April 2009). "Amazon.com Says 'Embarrassing' Error, Not Hacker, Censored 57,310 Gay Books". Gawker.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  9. ^ a b c Schwartz, Mattathias (3 August 2008). "The Trolls Among Us". NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  10. ^ Thomas, Owen (3 August 2008). "Journalists do it for the lulz". Gawker.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  11. ^ Birch, Alex (8 August 2008). "Interview: Professional Hacker and Troll Weev". Corrupt. CORRUPT.org. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  12. ^ Moe (18 September 2008). "Hacker From That Times Story On Palin Emails: "i wish they'd done it properly"". Gawker.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  13. ^ Spencer Ante and Ben Worthen (11 June 2010). "FBI Opens Probe of iPad Breach". Wall Street Journal.
  14. ^ Foresman, Chris (19 January 2011). "Goatse Security trolls were after "max lols" in AT&T iPad hack". Ars Technica. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  15. ^ a b c Worthen, Ben; Spencer E. Ante (14 June 2010). "Computer Experts Face Backlash". WSJ.com.
  16. ^ Tate, Ryan (9 June 2010). "Apple's Worst Security Breach: 114,000 iPad Owners Exposed". Gawker.com. Gawker Media. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  17. ^ a b United States District Court — District Court of New Jersey, Docket: MAG 11-4022 (CCC). Filed with the court 13 January 2011
  18. ^ Dowell, Andrew (17 June 2010). "Programmer Detained After FBI Search". The Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ Mills, Elinor (15 June 2010). "Hacker in AT&T-iPad security case arrested on drug charges". CNET News. CNET News. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  20. ^ Perna, Gabriel (17 June 2010). "Arrested Hacker's Web Site Reveals Extremist Views". International Business Times. International Business Times. Retrieved 11 July 2010.
  21. ^ weev (5 July 2010). "Hypocrites and Pharisees". Goatse.fr.
  22. ^ "Criminal charges filed against AT&T iPad attackers — Computerworld". 18 January 2011.
  23. ^ Porter, David (28 February 2011). "Suspect in iPad Data Theft Released on Bail in NJ". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  24. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (6 July 2011). "iPad hacker Andrew Auernheimer indicted by Newark grand jury". Huffington Post. Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  25. ^ Mills, Elinor (12 September 2011). "AT&T-iPad site hacker to fight it on in court (exclusive)". CNET News. CNET News. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  26. ^ Zetter, Kim (20 November 2012). "Hacker Found Guilty of Breaching AT&T Site to Obtain iPad Customer Data". Threat Level. Wired. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  27. ^ "Twitter status, 3:38 PM - 20 Nov 12".
  28. ^ "Twitter status, 3:32 PM - 20 Nov 12".
  29. ^ Auernheimer, Andrew (29 November 2012). "Forget Disclosure — Hackers Should Keep Security Holes to Themselves". Wired. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  30. ^ Auernheimer, Andrew (23 January 2013). "iPad Hack Statement Of Responsibility". techcrunch.com. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  31. ^ Zetter, Kim (23 January 2013). "iPad Hack Statement Of Responsibility". wired.com. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  32. ^ weev (17 March 2013). "I am weev. I may be going to prison under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act tomorrow at my sentencing. AMA". Reddit. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  33. ^ Brian, Matt (18 March 2013). "Andrew 'weev' Auernheimer sentenced to 41 months for exploiting AT&T iPad security flaw". The Verge. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  34. ^ Crook, Jordan (22 March 2013). "Andrew 'weev' Auernheimer Obtains New Lawyer, Files Appeal". TechCrunch.
  35. ^ "Inmate Locator: Register # 10378-010". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  36. ^ Kerr, Orin (1 July 2013). "Appellant's Brief Filed in United States v. Auernheimer". The Volokh Conspiracy. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  37. ^ "Orin Kerr's Appeal Brief for Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer - Another CFAA Case". Groklaw. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  38. ^ Elmer-DeWitt, Philip (17 June 2010). "The ugliest computer hacker". CNNMoney.com. Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  39. ^ Clark, Meredith. "The New Political Prisoners: Leakers, Hackers and Activists". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  40. ^ "Hacker: I was behind Amazon Gay Book Delisting". Fox News. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  41. ^ Buley, Talor (13 April 2009). "Amazon: Caught in the act". Forbes. Forbes magazine. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  42. ^ a b c Chokshi, Niraj (10 June 2010). "Meet one of the hackers who exposed the iPad security leak". The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  43. ^ Paget, Henri (9 March 2010). "Interview: Encyclopedia Dramatica moderator". Ninemsn. Ninemsn, a Microsoft and PBL Media Company. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  44. ^ Oates, John (17 March 2010). "Irate aussies go after US website". The Register. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  45. ^ Jane, Emma (5 March 2011). "Ugly trolls set internet freedom in flames". The Australian. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  46. ^ Jardin, Xeni (20 October 2011). "Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer, hacker in AT&T iPad case, on Occupy Wall Street". Boing Boing. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
  47. ^ Dean, Jodi (2010). Blog Theory: Feedback and Capture in the Circuits of Drive. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. p. 6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  48. ^ http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/fulldisc/full-disclosure/52577
  49. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20070503012914/http://headrush.typepad.com/whathappened.html
  50. ^ http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/12/4693710/the-end-of-kindness-weev-and-the-cult-of-the-angry-young-man
  51. ^ http://pastebin.com/DUWEZfTy
  52. ^ "CHILDISH GAMBINO RECRUITS CHANCE THE RAPPER, JHENÉ AIKO AND AZEALIA BANKS FOR BECAUSE THE INTERNET LP". FACT. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.

External links

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Weev&oldid=600564831"